Earlier this month, there was a deadline for input to UiO's forthcoming climate and environmental strategy. Seventeen units responded to the formal consultation, while over 40 employees, students and student organisations submitted more than 70 inputs via a form on uio.no. The input has come from both scientific, administrative and technical staff, but professors have been the most active.
- Consultation input from UiO?s units gathered here (Norwegian only)
- Individual input gathered here (Norwegian only)
In connection with the strategy, an action plan is going to be developed. It will be completed after the strategy has been adopted by the University Board. The plan will have an annual follow-up, and will cover all of UiO?s core activities.
Read more about UiO?s forthcoming climate and environmental strategy
Lot of attention internally and externally
In addition to consultation responses and individual input, feedback has been provided by e-mail, in the debate meeting that was arranged at the Humanities and Social Sciences Library in September, and through various proposals and debates in the media.
– My hope when I became part of the rectorate in August was that we would kick-start an internal debate on making priorities that matter – amongst other related to the draft climate and environmental strategy that the working group delivered just before the summer, says Mette Halskov Hansen, Vice Rector for Climate & the Environment and Cross-Disciplinarity.
– That wish has certainly been fulfilled, and I believe it has been a decidedly positive thing. The debate has also shown that what we do at UiO is both interesting and important to people off campus. Not many Norwegian or European university strategies have made it to editorials, TV and radio in the largest national media.
Further process for the climate and environmental strategy:
- The university management formulates a proposal that is discussed in the deans? meeting and with the IDF (unions)
- The University Board will discuss the matter on 7 December 2021
- The university management revises the proposal based on the feedback
- The proposal is discussed in the deans' meeting and with the IDF in January 2022
- The University Board adopts the strategy on 8 February 2022.
– Not everyone will be happy
In its response to the consultation, the Student Parliament is, in general, content with the draft strategy. All the other units start their feedback stating that they are pleased that the strategy is on its way, but they also have concrete criticism and suggestions for improvements. One of the topics that often arises is the proposal to establish a sustainability centre loosely based on the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
– We see great opportunities in such a sustainability initiative at Nedre Blindern at some point in the future, but it must be explored and analysed properly. That being said, I can repeat what I stated to the University Board this week: not everyone will be happy. We have received wishes and suggestions that go in different directions, and some of them are in conflict with each other, says Halskov Hansen.
– However, I am sure that we shall have a strategy that will provide a clear direction for UiO's efforts to strengthen climate, environment and sustainability in a broader sense of the word within our core activities.
Will not control the students
With regard to the education part of the strategy proposal, a lot of the criticism has been related to the use of the term “change agents” in reference to students, to the proposal to incorporate climate and environment in all studies, and to use E